CarbonLite: Inside the World’s Largest Plastic Bottle Recycling Plant
Plastic Bottle Recycling
A plastic bottle recycling plant typically goes through several stages to process used plastic bottles and turn them into new products. These stages include:
- Collection and sorting: Used plastic bottles are collected from various sources such as curbside recycling programs, drop-off centers, and commercial facilities. The bottles are then sorted by type of plastic, as different types of plastic have different properties and require different recycling processes.
- Cleaning: The sorted bottles are then cleaned to remove any dirt, food residue, or other contaminants. This is typically done by washing the bottles with water and a cleaning solution.
- Shredding: After cleaning, the bottles are shredded into small plastic flakes or pellets. This makes it easier to transport and process the plastic.
- Extrusion: The plastic flakes are then heated and extruded (forced through small holes) into long strands of plastic. These strands are then cooled and cut into small pellets.
- Pelletizing: These pellets are then melted and extruded into small pellets again, which is called “pelletizing”. This step is to make sure the plastic is clean and consistent for the next step.
- Manufacturing: The plastic pellets can be used to create a wide variety of new products, such as new plastic bottles, fibers for textiles, plastic lumber, and more. The pellets are typically sold to manufacturers who use them to create new products.
- Quality Control: Throughout the process, quality control checks are done to ensure the plastic is being processed correctly and that the end product meets the required standards.
Great video on plastic bottle recycling. Plastic waste has gotten out of hand and this is just one example of tackling the issue. “SoCal Connected” takes a look inside the state-of-the-art facility where billions of plastic bottles are churned on an annual basis. The process involves transforming old plastic bottles into PET pellets and flakes in order to produce new plastic bottles.
Plastic Recycling and Environmental Quotes
- “To leave a legacy for your children or grandchildren is not always money but something even more precious. It is to leave the Earth and its beauty, its vitality, and its wholesomeness.” ~Byron R. Pulsifer
- “When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” –Aldo Leopold
- “Just as we cannot blame others for destroying the environment, so we cannot look to others to protect the environment. Responsibility for both begins at home.” ~Paul Griss
- “The Earth is more important than money, and if we want our children to have a clean place to live, we need to do our part now. We can’t buy our children a new planet.” ~Catherine Norton
- “We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” –Howard Zinn
Supply Chain Sustainability – Recycling.
- A Radical Plan to End Plastic Waste.
- Artificial Intelligence Recycling: Robots Using AI To Recycle.
- Car Recycling. How to turn a junker into money.
- How Are Aluminium Cans Recycled?
- How One Company Turns Plastic Waste Into Reusable Packaging
- How Plastic Bottles Are Recycled Into Cloth.
- Scottish Company Recycles Plastic Waste Into Roads.
- Ship Breaking Yards – Where Ships Become Scrap.
- Tire Recycling.
- Walmart uses hydrogen powered fork lifts in giant energy efficient warehouse.
- Youtube: Recycling cans and bottles for money in one day.
- Youtube: What really happens to the plastic you throw away.
